The Pilgrim's Progress (Book)
The Pilgrim's Progress has inspired readers for over three
centuries. It is one of the best-loved and most widely read books in
English literature and is a classic of the heroic Puritan tradition and a
founding text in the development of the English novel.
It is a Christian allegory written by John Bunyan and published in February, 1678. It is regarded as one of the most significant works of religious English literature, has been translated into more than 200 languages, and has never been out of print. Bunyan began his work while in the Bedfordshire county gaol for violations of the Conventicle Act, which prohibited the holding of religious services outside the auspices of the established Church of England. Early Bunyan scholars like John Brown believed The Pilgrim's Progress was begun in Bunyan's second shorter imprisonment for six months in 1675,
but more recent scholars like Roger Sharrock believe that it was begun
during Bunyan's initial, more lengthy imprisonment from 1660-1672 right
after he had written his spiritual autobiography, Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners.
